Credit for your annotation will depend on complete coverage of questions, use of concrete examples from the film to illustrate points and high quality writing. Annotations can be in essay form, or can answer each question separately, but must be in complete sentences and paragraphs. It should be clear that you have moved beyond notes to a sophisticated analysis. The questions to be covered are as follows:
1. Title, director and release year?
2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out?
Political problems? Legal? Economic? Technological? Media and Informational? Organizational? Educational? Behavioral? Cultural? Ecological?
4. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
5. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by?
6. What audiences does the film best address? What aspects of the film make it seem appropriate for these audiences?
7. What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.
8. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
Does the film convey different perspectives on the issues?
Is it overly “balanced”?
What kind of scientific literacy is promoted?
Does it enroll viewers, or preach at them?
Does it include images or examples that are likely to stick with viewers?
9. What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out?
Your reponse to this question should demonstrate research. It should provide new information, and a reference or link. If watching China Revs Up, for example, made you interested in what the United States could to to encourage China to limit carbon emissions, you could find information about initiatives taken by the U.S. State Department at http://www.state.gov/policy/. You also could find and draw on a relative news article.
FILM ANNOTATION TEMPLATE
Credit for your annotation will depend on complete coverage of questions, use of concrete examples from the film to illustrate points and high quality writing. Annotations can be in essay form, or can answer each question separately, but must be in complete sentences and paragraphs. It should be clear that you have moved beyond notes to a sophisticated analysis. The questions to be covered are as follows:
1. Title, director and release year?
2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out?
4. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
5. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by?
6. What audiences does the film best address? What aspects of the film make it seem appropriate for these audiences?
7. What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.
8. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
9. What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out?